News

Jenkins, PCGA Looking for NEXT Investors

It’s an interesting play in an expanding space: NEXT Proteins, the current project of Designer Whey and Detour Bar founder David Jenkins, is attempting to sell its collection of protein-centric…

Inside Incubation: A Look at the Growing Ranks of Beverage Incubators

With institutional investors getting a bad rap in beverages these days – the National Enquirer version of the complaint is they force you to juice your projections in order to get the deal done, then steal your company when you fail to hit those unrealistic targets – a lot of early-stage beverage companies have been in a quandary as to where else to turn once they’ve reached the limits of where friends-and-family and angels can take them.

Nestea to Change Hands While Coke Grows FUZE

The Coca-Cola Co. and Nestle have confirmed that Beverage Partners Worldwide — their 20-year partnership marketing Nestea in the U.S. has been fundamentally altered to focus away from North America.…

Breaking: NWNA to take Nestea, Coke to In-FUZE Tea Biz, Report Says

The Coca-Cola Co. will be offering a new cold-filled RTD tea made under the FUZE brand to its distribution network after ceding the declining Nestea brand to Nestle, its partner in the fraying Beverage Partners Worldwide joint venture, according to a report in Beverage Digest. The move would allow Nestle Waters North America to take over Nestea in the U.S., rolling it into an expanding tea platform that includes the Sweet Leaf and Tradewinds tea brands.

From HANS to MNST

Well, considering that the energy drink business comprises about 95 percent of the company’s revenue, we don’t think there’s much of a shocker here, but Hansen’s Natural Corp. is changing…

Pepsi Cuts on the Way?

The pressure on Indra Nooyi continues to mount as the embattled PepsiCo CEO is considering plans to lay off roughly 4,000 workers and end the company’s 401(k) match in order to boost profits and increase shareholder value, according to The New York Post. The Post – which reported last month that the cola giant was preparing to lay off about 1,000 workers - noted that a final decision on the moves could come within a matter of days, citing sources close to matter.

Xyience Trucks into GNC

Xyience has landed four SKUs of its Xenergy energy drink in specialty nutrition retailer GNC, a store that has increasingly reached out to energy and fitness beverages in the past year. In an just-released announcement, the company indicated that its Mango Guava, Cherry Lime, Cran Razz and Xtreme Fruit Punch varieties would be made available to up to 1,550 GNC stores, while another 300 GNC franchise operations would also be able to carry Xenergy.